“CHALICE†was given life on April 1, 1980 in the Gibraltar Hills of St. Mary, Jamaica. Seven young, talented musicians of diverse social and musical backgrounds pooled their resources to develop a fresh, new, pop oriented reggae sound in the prime of the Bob Marley Era.By 1981 CHALICE was already considered one of the most spectacular live acts in Jamaica with a repertoire that consisted mostly of their own material and some originally interpreted cover songs. CHALICE honed their craft by playing every conceivable stage in Jamaica as well as opening for notable U.S. acts such as The Commodores, The Spinners, Eddie Kendricks and The Four Tops, crowning the year by being one of the headliners on the world famous Reggae Sunsplash event.In 1982 their debut album BLASTED spawned two chart toppers in Jamaica. “I STILL LOVE YOU†stayed seven weeks at number one and “GOOD TO BE THERE†broke the top ten the following year. Their second offering “STANDARD PROCEDURE†also had critical and chart success with the powerful “I’M TRYING†and the popular “CAN’T DUB’ riding the Jamaican Top Ten Chart.For three years CHALICE took their live act to Europe under the guidance of K.P. Schlinetz, and a third album STAND UP was released to critical acclaim but disappointing radio plays and sales. Still, the single “DANGEROUS DISTURBANCES†hit home in Jamaica. Managerial problems put an end to their European contract and CHALICE turned their attention to the United States and Mexico. CHALICE made their first major United States tour on the REGGAE SUNSPLASH 10TH ANNIVERSITY TOUR†in 1987. A fourth album CROSSFIRE was released in Jamaica only and the hit “REVIVAL TIME†was Chalice’s second number one single at home.1988 saw CHALICE taking their sound to Africa and back to the United States of America where a fifth album CATCH IT was released (Rohit) (USA only). Lack of promotion kept this album out of reach.From 1989 to 1990 CHALICE toured Mexico extensively playing to sold out houses all over the country and in 1990 the sixth album “SI MI YA†was released in Jamaica. This popular album was voted ALBUM OF THE YEAR by the Jamaican Music Awards Committee and the single “DANCE HALL MONIC†was a breakthrough piece combining classical elements with a hardcore dance hall rhythm.In December 1990 CHALICE was invited to headline the first “MEXICO SUNSPLASH†in Mexico City and received an overwhelming response from critics and the general public.1991 saw CHALICE working within Jamaica and the other Caribbean territories including Antigua, Cayman and St. Maarten.Two major changes took place within the group at the end of 1991. Drummer ‘Phanso’ Wilson and lead singer Trevor Roper migrated to the United States. Trevor was replaced by the young and dynamic Dean Stephens and Phanso was replaced by Wayne ‘C Sharp’ Clarke. Their debut with CHALICE was on the “Picante†television show on Channel 11 in Mexico City – a program which was aired throughout Latin America and the United States.CHALICE worked steadily into the 90’s and recorded their seventh album “TUFF ENUFF†which was only released in Austria. The group took a collective decision to disband in 1996, after a closing performance at Reggae Sumfest, to garner new experiences and to regroup in the new millennium. Wayne toured with the legendary Jimmy Cliff, Allah and Keith toured with the West African Reggae King, Alpha Blondy and Mikey with Third World, but just prior to the group’s Second Advent, Mikey was shot and killed near his home in Kingston. The Chalice family was distraught and did not regroup until 2006, ten years after their last performance at Sumfest.February 17, 2007 will mark the official re-emergence of Chalice on a night aptly dubbed, Chalice In Concert. The show takes place in Kingston, Jamaica on the prestiguous King's House Lawns. So, after a little over a decade on solo projects, world tours and new members, the seven piece reggae outfit is bigger, better and liver than ever before. New members Demar Gayle (keyboards), Dean Stephens (lead vocals) and Steve “Stevie G†Golding have proven to be more than welcome additionsAfter this well anticipated return to the home stage, Chalice has its gaze fixed upon an extensive European tour as well as several North American dates. After establishing a reputation as one of the more formidable live reggae acts of the 80's, Chalice clearly left a void; with the kind fervour that each and every single one of their performances emmanated. With that said, the band now finds itself on a quest to re-establish its fan base an introduce itself to a new generation of ardent reggae lovers. For this legion of old an new listeners, Chalice's return to the international stage will only fan the flames. And who better to do it than the band that knows that it is as simple as HEAT, AIR AND WATER?
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